I suppose every child of a human mother grows up to have at least one critical point in their lives, a place that changes the course of their life. It is times like these when what a man does, the path he chooses, and the way he takes is entirely dependent upon the things he has come to learn. Before truth can be applied, its foundation must be laid in the heart. As Christians, we have an obligation to share the truth with people who may not seem interested, so that they are equipped for the day when they will be desperate for it.
My Heavenly Father prepared me when I was young for the day when I would cry out to Him when I was old. He placed me in a loving home with parents who prayed for me and with me. He sat me down on the floor with my family and spoke to me while Mother read Bible stories and Daddy prayed and helped us apply truth to our lives. He gave me Sunday School teachers with enough patience to scratch a little groove of knowledge into my distracted mind, no matter how many times I rearranged the felt-board characters into war scenes. Abba orchestrated the lives of several ministers and youth sponsors who would sow countless seeds of scriptural knowledge in my youthful mind, and who modeled practical Christianity before my inquiring eyes. Why? Because the day of trial comes like floods on a shaky house, testing the foundation on which we have built. If the seeds of truth are planted deep inside, that watery flood serves only to stir them up, and under the warmth of the Holy Spirit, they are drawn upon to bloom into obedience, spreading their fragrance of faith, hope and kindness to the everlasting glory of God the perfect Vinedresser.
When I was a boy, I heard a story of a prophet. He teased the prophets of Baal and glorified the God of Israel. He soaked an offering, an altar, and the soil around it in gallons of precious water during a drought-induced famine just to prove God's power. When the test of life came to me, I remembered Elijah's example . When the earth began to quake under my feet, the enemy swarmed around my camp, and all I loved was taken from me, I was able to pick myself out of the dust, tilt up the brim of my soiled hat, sneer at the enemy and say, "It's just another jar of water! You better stand back, 'cause Daddy's taking the stone with Him when He strikes His blow." How could I have taken any stand at all without the example of Elijah, and how could I have known of that victory unless somebody told me?
Again, I heard of a man with a tendency to speak his mind, sometimes before his mind had a chance to stop him. Peter was eager to please, and eager to be with the Lord. When all else were scared, and content to be comforted by the Lord's voice calling out to them from across the water, Peter dared to push the limit. "Have me come to you." What an expression of trust! Peter learned that the wind, though invisible, can steal your focus away. Peter learned that waves licking at your ankles can drop your gaze. Peter learned that the flood of trial can draw you, body and soul, straight down. In my early adulthood, the wind got rough and the waves licked at my own ankles. Because someone took the time to sow the seeds of knowledge about Peter into my life, I was better able to say to the water, "You are a mere annoyance! You are at my feet where you belong, and I will not look at you, because my focus is securely set on my Savior. Although I know the wind is on my cheek, I am entranced with His smile, and I will not take my eyes off Him."
While salvation may begin with the waters of baptism (1 Peter 3:21-22), the baptism that continues to save is not merely the stale water in a cold baptistery (Mark 10:38-39). The many baptisms we must endure, the rains of tribulation, the floods of uncertainty, will all serve to prove what we believe. " See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground." (Isaiah 28:2) By grace through faith a man is saved. By obedience through understanding he will prove it. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,'" (Matthew 7:22) Many will be abandoned because on the day of their testing they failed to believe and abandoned the Lord. (Matthew 10:32-33) This is the difference between believing in the Lord, which even the demons do (James 2:19), and believing on the Lord (John 6:40) and looking on Him when all else attempts to distract.
Daily, we meet souls without a firm foundation. Sometimes they are closer than we think. Even inside our church congregations tidy little homes with pretty facades and ornate trim keep us from seeing the creaky sub-floors and the sandy foundations. It is our job, as Christ's ambassadors to the world, to share what we know to build others up (Ephesians 4:29, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Thessalonians 5:11) so that when the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, our neighbor can say, "So, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."" (Isaiah 28:16)
Who will you share your victory with today?
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